brewster



' (No Model.) f 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. B. BREWSTER.

AMALGAMATOR.

Patented Nov. 18, 1890.

ATTORNEYS.

2 Shets-Sheet 2.

AMALGAMATOR.

Patented Nov. 18, 1890.

J. B. BREWSTER.

(No Model.)

. WlTNES S ES:

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

JAMES BTBREVVSTER, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

AMALGAMATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,089, dated November18, 1890. Application filed September 12, 1889. Serial No. 323,757. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES B. BREWSTER, a citizen of the United. States,residing at the city of New York, in the county and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Alnalgamators, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of amalgamators in which mercury isused to extract precious metals from the various impurities combinedwith them in the ores in which they are found, and has for its primaryobject the working of ores of a friable or semi-fluid stickynature-such, for instance, as some of the adhesive muds in which gold isfound.

The nature of the invention consists in the details of combination andconstruction,substantially as illustrated in the accompanying drawingshereinafter described, and subsequently pointed out in the claim.

Figure 1 is a side view of my amalgamator. Fig. 2 is a top view of thesame. Fig. 3 is a front view of the same. Fig. 4 is a longitudinalvertical sectional View of the same. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a pocketmore fully hereinafter described.

A A designate the body of the machine. From this slopes away the steppedincline B. WVithin the body of the machine at one side is placed a deepnarrow vertical pocket, (designated by I.) This pocket is made fast tothe body of the machine, is made water-tight, the outer edge a alittlehigher than the inner edge I), and may be formed of any suitablematerial. Iron, however, seems preferable.

C designates a division-board, which is held in position in said pocketby two grooves, one in each end of said pocket, into which the edges ofsaid board slip, so that it can be put into or taken out of said pocketat pleasure. Upon the top of this board in suitable bearings isjournaled the shaft D. Upon this shaft are mounted the pulley E and thelantern-drum E; A series of endless chains (designated by G) pass overthis lantern-drum E and around the board 0, so that it can be placedwith said board in said pocket I, as illustrated in the drawings, andthe said shaft, pulley, lantern-drum, chains, and board all so arrangedand connected that when said board is removed from said pocket they willall be removed together with it. The pipes F F are adapted to cast aspray of water into this pocket. From the inner and lower side d of thispocket an inclined screen (designated by H) extends across the body ofthe machine to an opening H in the opposite side. Directly under thisscreen is the amalgamating-table K. which may be nearly horizontal. Aslot 7c in the side wall of the machine gives communication between thistable and the stepped incline B. The surface of this table and thesurface of the stepped incline should both be covered withamalgamating-plates. The plates on the incline are preferablycorrugated. At the foot of the incline is another pocket, (designated byL.) This pocket is so arranged that it communicates with the bottom stepof the incline. The outer edge of the pocket is the lowest. The insideof this pocket is faced with amalgamating plate. Within this pocket is aremovable partition, (designated by M.) To the bottom edge of thispartition is fastened abar, (designated by m.) A water-pipe n passesthrough this partition from edge to edge and communicates with anotherwaterpipe 0, which is parallel with the under side of said partition andbetween the bottom of said partition and said bar on. Proper orifices insaid pipe 0 allow the water to spurt in jets into said pocket.

The body of said machine may be made of wood or any other suitablematerial. A belt on the pulley E may connect the machine with anysuitable motor. A hopper (designated by P) may be placed on the pocketI, as illustrated, to assist in manipulating the ma chine.

To use this amalgamator quicksilver in the required quantity isdeposited in the pocket I, and also in the pocket L, until it covers thelower edge of the bar m. ater under pressure is let on through theabove-mentioned pipes and the shaft set in motion bya belt on thepulley, as before described. Friable or muddy sticky ore is now fedthrough the hopper P into the outside part of the pocket I and againstthe chains G. The ore, partly by its own weight and partly by the motionof the chain G, is carried downward toward the bottom of the pocket,being broken, crushed, and comminuted as it goes down. When it reachesthe bottom of the pocket, it passes through the mercury and under thedivisionboard. Here the larger and free pieces of precious metal will bedropped in the bottom of the pocket; but the lighter particles, many ofwhich contain precious metal, will be carried upward on the inner sideof the divisionboard between it and the wall of the pocket. The motionof the chains rubbing on the board will wash, scour, and brighten theparticles of precious metal still in the ore, so that when they reachthe top of this side of the pocket and passing over the edge fall uponthe screen H, the clean bright surfaces of metal which they present willbe very easy to amalgamate, so that when it comes to pass over theamalgamating-surfaces, as hereinafter described, but little of theprecious metaI will fail to be amalgamated and but little of it pass offin the tailings.

At any time it is necessary the board and its accompanying mechanism maybe removed from the pocket. It will then be much easier to wash andclean, and the pocket, too, being empty, will be much easier to wash andclean. The larger pieces roll down the screen and out of the machinethrough the opening H. The finer portions fall through the screen on thetable K and make their way through the slot k to the stepped incline,down which they make their way to the pocket L. Thus far the materialhas been carried by the action of the water flowing from the pipes inthe bottom of the pocket I; but when it comes into the last pocket L thewater flowing into that pocket carries it down through the mercury,under the bar m, and out through the pocket over the outer and loweredge and out of the machine. As the pulp passes through the machine, thelarger pieces of gold are deposited along the track of the pulp and thesmaller pieces are amalgamated by the mercury, so that but little of thegold or other precious metal escapes out of the machine with the gangue.

lVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

An amalgamator for precious metals, consisting of an upright pocketprovided with a groove in the inside of each end wall, a removabledivision board fitting into said grooves, a shaft j ournaled upon theupper edge of said division-board, a pulley and drum mounted on saidshaft, a series of endless chains upon said drum and surrounding saiddivision-board in said pocket, said divisionboard, pulley, drum, andchains being all attached as hereinbefore described, whereby they may betogether removed from said pocket, in combination with suitableamalgamating-surfaces arranged at the discharge side of said pocket, allsubstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES B. BREW'STER Witnesses:

G. S. CUDNER, F. WV. RUBIEN.

